Friday, July 30, 2010

There is one thing that all newly licensed RNs go through. It's like a coming-of-age, right of passage ceremony / ritual every young and excited nurse experience. After 4 long years of wearing a university mandated uniform, the world has finally proclaimed that, this time, we are equipped enough to decide... what to wear.

To tell you the truth it's not as simple as it sounds. Okay, for male nurses, maybe. Their uniforms all look the same to me anyways, although some metrosexuals opt for the Chinese collar style even though most of them resemble a Chinese as much as Vice-President Binay does.

I've seen good designs and frighteningly bad ones from RN friends, college classmates and random-nurses-commuting-to-work. However, when I tried to search for pictures of such so that I could give a copy to my seamstress, Google either gave me nurses in scrubs or some slutty Halloween/Fetish costume with a probable porn star as the model.

Unlike other countries which have stopped tormenting their nurses with having to wear boring whites day in and day out and opted for more comfortable I-come-in-all-shapes-and-color scrubs, here in the Philippines, we're still stuck with white. And not just white as a color but also white in stiff must-be-ironed-with-iron-fists type of cloth. I think only the most advanced (and expensive) hospitals have their RNs in scrubs. But for the rest of the country, scrubs are only for OR and Nursery.

I don't think it's a bad thing, though. I think white uniforms look more professional although scrubs are definitely easier to move in. The appalling thing about scrubs in this country is that almost everyone wears it. From manicuristas to yayas who follow toddlers around to people in spas to people in derm clinics who prick pimples off other people... it's hard to count them off one by one. So maybe, for the meantime, unless I get hired in one of those high story buildings with the names St. Lukes / Medical City / Cardinal Santos in it, I'm voting for the traditional whites.

Speaking of which, I have compiled a small pile of white nursing uniforms for those who are still looking for a design that would best fit them. I'm not saying all of them are good (actually, most are Bleh with a capital B) but they are all I've manage to find. Click on the image for a larger version.

Not a lot to choose from, I know. Three of them looks exactly the same and I'm not sure if two of the above are even allowed in certain institutions. Okay, maybe I am now leaning towards scrubs now. Expensive hospitals, hire me already!

Thursday, July 29, 2010

I recently bought a weighing scale about a week ago. I stepped on it and almost had a heart attack after looking at the figure that evil red line was pointing at. This can't be! I've bought a faulty unit, I'm going to bring it back as soon as I have the chance. But no, the scale is correct and my brain is the one who has grown delusional.

Since then, I have been using Fitnity on my iPod Touch to control my calorie consumption. It's not a Magic Weight Loss App but it keeps me aware if I've been eating way too much throughout the day. The thing I like about it the most is it's interface. Not perfect but definitely prettier than others that it makes me want to use it more. It has built in diets and exercise options that I could follow but which I rarely do.

You have the choice whether to follow a diet or to just compute the calories via it's intuitive (and very pretty) meal calculator. There are also charts and diary logs where you can see your progress and edit previously entered data. It even tracks water intake, mood and of course, your weight. And yes, alleluja, no ads.

Best thing about it, it works offline. Which is invaluable to an iPod Touch user like me who doesn't always have the luxury of being connected to the internet 24/7.

So far, I'm having a blast recording on it everything that I eat. You can record up to six meals a day and the button turns green or red whether you have exceeded the maximum allotted calories for each meal. Same thing with working out, the 'Burned' button turns green whenever there's inputted data on it.

I have yet to find out whether my change in routine will affect my weight. One thing I do vow is that I will fight this God forsaken metabolism if it's the last thing I do.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Do you notice them? The ones in all white uniforms. The ones you call whenever there are problems in the IV line, with the medications, the hospital bed, rationed food, in house TV. Leaky faucet? Flickering lights? They are the ones you come running to.

Because they're there. They are always there. To answer every call, every need, even though most of it are still little things that are way beyond their duties.

Irritated at the laboratory because it's taking forever for the patient you are looking after to be scheduled for an ultrasound? It's okay, there are always nurses at the station for you to get mad at. Furious at your doctor for being out of reach and unavailable at the moment to take care of pressing concerns? All is well, here are the nurses to absorb your unspecified anger.

Do you notice them? Do you really notice them?

Do you notice that most of them are taking care of you for free? Yes, without compensation. Would you work for a company without a salary? Of course, not. But they would. They are, in fact, working for minimum wage or no wage at all.

Do you notice that they are professionals? In every sense and definition of the word, they are professionals. Like CPAs, teachers, engineers, architects, lawyers and doctors. (Yes, like doctors.The ones you can't even raise an eyebrow at because they look so darn respectable in those white coats.)They all have licenses and certificates to prove how far they've come and how much they've accomplished. Don't they deserve something for their time and effort?

Their services might be free now but be assured that their education wasn't. The books, uniforms, bags and other equipments were definitely not. Not to mention four years worth of daily food allowance and transportation expenses.

Did you also know that they have to undergo a myriad of trainings and seminars to get to where they are now? Apparently, their college diploma, PRC license, board certificate aren't enough to meet the standards.

Are you aware that in government hospitals, the nurse-patient ratio can get up to 1 nurse to 30 patients? In fact, in some institutions, it is considered a norm. Even waiters cannot serve 20 tables efficiently all at the same time. How much more can they?

So please don't blame them if their primary goal in life is to get out of the Philippines and support their families from thousands of miles away. It's not their fault that it's pretty much impossible to live on nothing. Entry level nurses can volunteer all they want but doing so doesn't put food on the table.

How's that? Feeling a little respect for them now? You should. Just imagine a world without them and maybe you'll somehow get a gist on how it's really like for nurses. Because it's obvious that not a lot of people are aware of the current state of our health care system. All everybody can see and concentrate on are the patients (and Reproductive Health like pregnancy is the new AIDSand H1N1 virus combined).

It's depressing how nobody remembers to take care of these people whose primary job is to take care of others.

So next time you or your relative is in the hospital, try to notice them, understand them. And maybe, hopefully, you'll appreciate them a little better.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Due to the massive success of A Very Potter Musical, fans all over the world, thanks to the power of YouTube, eagerly waited for the release of probably one of the most anticipated sequel in Harry Potter fandom.

Receiving almost 200,000 hits on its first three days of being uploaded, it's no doubt that StarKid Productions developed a lot of fans within the months that they've been on YouTube.

A Very Potter Sequel takes place in Harry's first year, thanks to Lucius's time turner that paved the way to plot of the sequel. With almost all of vital Harry Potter scenes and characters that weren't included in the original musical put together into this show, it's no doubt that this is going to be an interesting ride.

The production numbers looked more choreographed and rehearsed with better props and set design. For that I applaude the cast and crew. Also, kudos for recreating a Quidditch match on stage with matching slow motion effects. Pretty wicked. Great original songs like "To Have a Home", "The Coolest Girl", "Guys Like Potter" and "Days of Summer" made is as addicting as the first musical.

New characters such as Umbridge, Lupin, Sirius, Rita Skeeter and most of all Lucius Malfoy are amusing at best but I can't help but miss the old characters like Ginny, Voldemort, Quirrell. They were pivotal identities in the original production that I really feel their absence in the sequel although the same actors are still in the musical (playing other characters) and it's understandable why they got cut off.

I'd say the songs on the original play were catchier than in the sequel but the latter has more effort and is more detailed than its predecessor. Although more song numbers would be appreciated.

On the down side, I think the characters and the plot have become sillier than necessary. We loved the natural wackiness of the original play and the fact that it followed the general outline of the Harry Potter series made it more amusing. But this time, since the theme is pretty much "whatever goes", some of the scenes felt forced and over-the-top. That doesn't mean that the whole act seemed that way but it would have been useful if they toned down the shennanigans a bit. I'd say the sequel are for die-hard fans of the musical and not for first timers.

The disappearance of Lauren Lopez's Draco is also obvious in the middle of the show. Which is a shame because she's such a great actor and the stage just lights up whenever she's on. However, the twist in the middle of the story is ingenious, I must add. It almost made up for the missing Draco scenes. But of course if this is a perfect world Draco would have his own musical. Preferably with his father Lucius Malfoy.

But don't get me wrong. There are so many laugh out loud moments that this musical is still considered a HP Fandom Classic at least in this blogger's point of view. The story slows down for a bit in the middle but picks up on the 2nd Act and shines with its wonderful heart warming finale.

However, one thing I've noticed, if they let curses just get bleeped out of the final cut and even include blatant sexual references throughout the show to be published on YouTube, then I don't see why they can't also upload the unedited version of the A Very Potter Musical. Now, that would be totally awesome.

Watching this fan made musical made me think of how wonderful it is to have the privilege to be a part of a generation who praises quality literature that reiterates the importance of loyalty, friendship and the power of love. Kids nowadays may be doing blood rituals and biting each other because it's considered the hype in these depressing times, but I think we got the better part of the bargain.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Typhoon Basyang, even though old and just likes to tell stories in her spare time, has managed to rip off trees, cut off electricity, mobile communication, internet, cable TV and light rail transits' operation in just a few hours of heavy blowing. Okay, that doesn't sound right.

This is my story.

July 14, 2010

12:01 mn: Heard the wind whistling a ferocious tune outside. Lights went off. Knew it was going to be a long day.

8:03 pm: Realized how great the iPod Touch is as an ebook reader. Was able to read Hugh Laurie's The Gun Seller during blackout without the risk of burning book from the candle flame.

9:40 pm: Wondered why God did not create man with ability to fan oneself while sleeping.

10:00 pm-ish: Mosquito attack #2. Got up to get Electrical Badminton Racket of Mosquito Doom. Started swinging it around while half asleep. No satisfying mosquito pop-and-sizzle. Electrical badminton out of charge. Crap.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Searching and reading online blogs about the experiences of nurse volunteers here in the country made me realize that, although I consider Orchestroscopy as a 'Personal Blog', it falls short of some criteria that would make it a bonafide here-is-my-life-and-I-want-you-to-know-everything-about-it site.

I, for one, am glad that I have grown out of that awkward phase. Although sometimes, it's interesting to read the lives of other people like it's a free magazine you happen to pick up while waiting at the dentist's office, I'd rather keep my posts to book / movie / music reviews, hospital experiences, political musings and Twilight bashing. In short, yes, I love to criticize. I love it so much that almost 80% of my posts here in this blog are reviews of everything I have managed to get my greedy hands on. The same ones I would use to type in paragraphs that would , in context, rip it to shattered pieces or praise it's divine brilliance.

Basically, I think the main reason why I don't want to post too personal stuff here is because too many people know about this blog. If that isn't reason enough then I don't know what is. It's my own doing, really. I am a self-confessed hits addict. I feel all warm and cuddly, see rainbows and puppies and little children blowing bubbles whenever I check on my stats and see that somebody have visited this humble online abode.

Another thing is, if reading my own high school "old-school-pen-and-notebook" diary makes me want to vomit my whole digestive system out, why would I let you experience the same ordeal? The horror!

So, in hindsight, if I'm so reluctant to share anything about me to the world wide web (also known as the Whole Planet), why the heck did I write this post again?

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with every one out to make sure you don't live to see the morning?

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

This trilogy is I think the most under-appreciated Young Adult Fiction of this time. With teens and tweens melting over The Twilight Saga, it's understandable that they be too preoccupied to read something new, something better written, with a mesmerizing more detailed, more creative fictional world with well-rounded characters and, most of all, something with an independent, courageous but endearing heroine.

We have less and less novels for teens which promote a strong feminine example and it makes me sick that a needy, love / lust crazed, insecure female character (Yes, I'm talking about Bella) is more celebrated than a strong, self preserving one. Most books would often just have ordinary-girl-meets-handsome-supernatural-boy, girl-gets-saved-by-supernatural-handsome-boy, and-they-lived-happily-ever-after-until-girl-needs-to-be-saved-again. Do we, females, always have to be dependent on our male counterparts?Is that all we can do, play the damsel in distress?Thank Suzanne Collins for a novel like this.

I had been searching for an "unputdownable" book for so long now. The kind that you never want to let go because it's so engaging and you just stop because your eyes can't take it anymore. After reading popular novels in almost every genre, imagine my surprise when this mildly popular Teen's book just managed to suck me right in its captivating world.

Don't be fooled by the minimalist cover. The Hunger Games is a wonderful book. Yes, it's brutal, it's violent, it's about a bunch of teenagers shoved in an arena to kill each other until there is only one left. But it is also about love, about responsibility, about honor, survival, freedom and trust.

I think the thing that I like most about this book is it's heroine, Katniss Everdeen. She is undoubtedly a pillar of strength and spirit. A sort of character that I have no problem if teens want to identify with her. Another is the lack of full-on romance. There is romance, and it's very well incorporated into the action of the story, but it is absolutely refreshing to read a young adult book without it as the primary subject of the whole novel. Last among the many wonderful things that I like about this trilogy is the world. Its ingenious post-apocalyptic world, Panem, is very well thought out, from the city to the different districts and their specialties, to the mutant animals that serves as both foe and friend. Of course it doesn't match JKR's Wizarding World but it can stand its own.

The second book of the trilogy is entitled Catching Fire. The third is Mockingjay, due to be released this August 24, 2010.

For some reason, I feel that it is my mission to introduce the world to this wonderful creation and convert them to fans, especially the lost little ones who still think that The Twilight Saga is the greatest book in the history of mankind. Hopefully, with this post, even to some infinitesimal extent, I have.

8. Kristin Stewart delivers her line in the same sarcastic tone whether she's happy, sad, terribly worried or having an epileptic fit.

7.Twilight werewolves are cuddly as their vampires are sparkly. Will gladly exchange the ripped Jacob to a fluffy version.

6. Must not vent up feelings of frustration over the incredible stupidity of the books and the flatness of its characters while in line to get tickets. Will get dirty looks.

5. Screenwriter (Melissa Rosenberg) was really good. She wrote funnier dialogue and made it seem like the book has a plot and not at all just filled with Bella's tortured musings about platonic love for Jacob and Edward's perfect sparkling perfectness.

4.Teenagers are the most annoying species of all. They scream at everything, from Jacob's abs to Bella's let's-have-premarital-sex whines to Edward's will-you-marry-me speech. In short, they screamed the entire movie.

3. Wondered if I was that annoying when I was a teen. Decided I probably was.

2.Twilight fans come in swarms. Like bees buzzing and hovering everywhere until you feel claustrophobic and itchy. From allergy.

... and the No.1 thing I learned while watching Eclipse is..

1. The Twilight world can be deemed decent enough for public consumption without damaging any brain cells, provided that there are special effects involved, we don't see it through Bella's love crazed eyes and that Stephenie Meyer did not write it.